Consider this hypothetical experiment:
You’re at a coffee house, and you intentionally drop a $10 bill on the floor in front of a cashier. You sit at a table and observe how customers react (you also have plenty of replacement bills!).
I imagine a multitude of ways people may react:
- Some people wouldn’t notice the $10 on the floor.
- Some people would notice, but ignore it.
- Some would pick it up and buy themselves a coffee.
- Some may pick it up, and tell the next person in line that they just found $10!
- Some may pick it up and buy two coffees – one for themselves and one for the next person.
- Some may hand it in to the cashier.
What would you do?
When I think about “luck,” I think about people who know how to take advantage of opportunities and translate them into success. The unlucky person doesn’t notice the $10 on the floor. Though, maybe he does notice it, but doesn’t know how to gain mileage.
We are confronted with circumstances like these every day. There are figurative $10 bills all around us. Anybody can pick them up. Why don’t they?
That’s complicated.
Recognizing and acting on opportunity is a creative endeavor. It takes study and practice!